


Things That Go Bump In The Night

by NervousAliceCurious



Series: Poisonous Little World [5]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), The Mist - Stephen King
Genre: Cruel and unusual death, Everyone Is A Warrior, F/M, Hurt, Little comfort, Loss, Pharmacy Trip, Spiders, bad burns, cocoons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 12:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21036083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: In order to save a life, MatPat and his friends must do the unthinkable: Leave the store.





	Things That Go Bump In The Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! And we're back to Week 2.
> 
> Warnings for: Blood, death, body horror, a fear of eight-leggeds, implied domestic abuse/assault, and suicide aftermath/verbal belittling.

I’m sorry I couldn’t protect anyone.

I’m sorry I couldn’t save anyone.

I’m a failure.

I’m a failure at life, and I don’t deserve to exist.

I know what you’ll say, but I don’t want to be stopped.

I just want to have peace.

-Signed, JetPack Girl.

-

“This is awful!”

Rosanna clung to Husky, tears dripping down her face.

“This is so awful-“

The back room had become their new holding place for the bodies.

The friends that they had lost…

Eva silently drew the sheet up over Tana’s bloated corpse, while Shane finished tying a white scarf around Kevin’s neck.

Cedric was kneeling by JetPack Girl’s body, crying.

He’d had to close her eyes.

_I wish…I wish we could’ve known them before…_

He’d muttered the name ‘Joanne’, several times.

…

“…I think…I think I’m gonna lose it-“

“Husky!?”

Her boyfriend ran out of there with a speed she’d never known he was capable of until that moment.

“Husky!!”

Lightfooting it after him, the Jetsetter may have been fairy-sized.

She may have been not in the best emotional state to be doing something like this.

But she could tell that something was wrong.

And for Husky?

She would be willing to do anything.

-

“Husky-“

_Ro…_

Naturally she would be going after him.

He could’ve kicked himself!

She was the sweetest, kindest girl in the whole world.

So, even _more_ naturally, she would want to know why her s/o suddenly decided to up and take off like that.

“Husky, where are you going?”

“…”

His feet took him straight to the break room door.

“…!”

Oh look.

He was crying, himself.

“Husky?”

Her concerned voice over his shoulder-

That did it.

“…Rosanna…”

“What is it?”

“…I killed Joey-“

“What!?”

He turned to her, guilt flooding his chest.

“He’s in there right now, because of me”.

The dam had broke, and now-

“He is in there because I f*ing slipped, and got him doused in gasoline!”

“Oh-“

“Soon he’s gonna die, and it’s gonna be all my fault-!!”

She hugged him.

“…Daniel’s never gonna forgive me…”

“…”

The door opened.

“…Never mind”, MatPat whispered-

“OH!”

They spun as one entity.

“MAT!!”

-

“…It’s not looking good”, Safiya warned.

“Yeah…”

Colleen swallowed the lump in her throat.

Husky couldn’t decide if her continued stare away from him was due to the badly-burnt man lying at their feet, or the fact that he was there in the doorway.

“Joey…”

Tears threatened to spill over in Ro’s eyes…

“R…o…?”

“Joey!”

She dropped to her knees as his hand feebly reached out-

“Joey, I’m here!”

“H…i…”

He tried to smile through blistered lips as his finger stroked her cheek.

MatPat sighed.

“There’s a pharmacy nearby…and we’re going to need all the supplies we can get to keep him alive”.

“We still have the blasters from…”

Stephanie trailed off.

“We do”, Shane agreed, stepping suddenly out of nowhere.

“Hey”.

-How he got that out of his mouth, he didn’t know.

“Mind if I watch him for you?"

“No, not at all”.

The Film Theorist smiled sympathetically.

“I'm sure he'd like that".

-

“Okay”.

Huddled together, the party of six waited with bated breath.

“What’s the plan?”

“Well-“

MatPat pointed to the door.

“I parked not far from the entrance. If we hurry, we can probably get there, get in, and then hotfoot it onto Safe Ground before the Pteris realize what we’re up to”.

“That’s right”, Colleen added, “It’s practically on the front doorstep-“

Cedric walked in.

“I have the-“

He stopped.

“…Am I interrupting?”

“Nope”.

Shane smiled wryly.

“In fact, you got here just in time”.

-

“So we’re doing this”.

Safiya made sure to do a quick check-

“We’ll be in and then we’ll be out”.

“Okay”.

“Okay-“

“Let’s do it”.

Ro nodded, and Stephanie looked determined.

“Let’s save him, guys”.

Colleen stood up.

“Do you think anyone will try to stop us?”

...

…It was a good question.

“Not right now”.

Shane seemed confident.

“They’re too busy looking for potential blood sacrifices”.

“Potential what?”

Stephanie sounded as rattled as she felt.

“-Shall we stop by the tool aisle?

Even a flimsy weapon would be better than none at all”.

“Sounds good to me, Cedric”.

-

“…And where do you think _you’re_ going?”

Ro froze up instinctively, the tone sending literal chills down her spine-

The Lead Sister.

“Someone has to help Joey”.

Thank goodness MatPat wasn’t afraid!

-She scoffed.

“After everything that’s happened so far, you _still_ believe that heading out there is a good idea?”

“Yeah”, one of her henchwomen chimed in.

“You’ll just be making yourselves easy pickings”.

“And besides-“ their final member prodded, “If you do head out that door, the Cursed God will have reason to punish us all.

Since clearly, going where we don’t belong always ends in death”.

“That’s right!” a giggly redhead proclaimed.

“They all must want to die so bad, just like-“

Cedric punched her in the face.

…

“OW!!”

She crashed to the floor, clutching her swollen cheek.

Blood dripping from her crooked nose…

“NEVER speak to me of Joanne in such a lighthearted tone!

She was infinitely kinder _and_ stronger than you!!

-Stronger than ALL of us!!!”

The crowd cowered beneath his burning glare.

“Anyone who cares to disagree with that, speak now”.

No one did.

-

“Manny, can you please look after Smollie?”

Stephanie smiled sadly as the baby reached for her.

“Sure-“

The beauty guru’s eyes sparkled.

“Hi~”

She could tell immediately-

“Uncle MUA’s gonna take good care of you…”

She’d made the right choice.

-

“Okay…”

Colleen took a deep breath.

“Are we ready?”

“Think so”.

Shane flashed his trademark grin.

Safiya nodded…

“Hold up your weapons”.

At Cedric’s command, they showed:

MatPat with a bolt gun.

Stephanie with a baseball bat.

Rosanna with a big knife.

Safiya with a pair of bow and arrows from the Sports Aisle.

Shane supposedly packing nothing-

And herself with the other blaster.

“Excellent.

Let us go”.

-

Sneaking through the fog was so scary!

Ro kept jumping at the slightest of sounds…

Unconsciously searching for signs of their fallen friends.

On edge, she held the blade close…

“Hey”.

JUMP

“Oops-“

Shane.

“Oh! It’s you-“

“Yup”.

“What’re you doing?”

“Keeping watch at the rear”.

“That’s good-“

“What’re _you_ doing?”

“…Just looking”.

“For Roi and the others, right?”

“…Mmhm”.

“…For what it’s worth, they probably went out like heroes”.

“I know…”

She blinked away the tears.

“I bet he’s peeping over your shoulder right now”.

“Really?”

-She actually turned.

“Well-in spirit”.

“…I knew that”.

Tried to laugh it off.

_I think._

-

Cramming seven people into their car was very, um…

Interesting.

Stephanie grimaced as Colleen’s boot drove into her ribs.

“Sorry-!”

“It’s fine”.

“Mat, your elbow is in my face-“ Safiya deadpanned.

“I sincerely apologize!”

“Who’s arm is this?” Ro wondered.

“Oh that’s mine, dear-“ Cedric awkwardly answered.

...They made it work.

“Everyone brace yourselves, I’m starting it up”.

Her husband waved the ignition key into the air, and then inserted-

Five others braced.

When nothing exploded, they all breathed easier.

-

From there, it was a short crawl to the Pharmacy parking lot-i.e. the literal front door.

Safiya:

“Remember, we need a medkit, several bottles of pain killers, and enough aloe to drown a small elephant”.

Everyone else:

“Got it”.

Using a lock pick they’d snitched from one of the tool boxes, Colleen sprang them in.

“Here, is where we need to not die”.

“We’ll do our best”, Shane replied drily.

“Good”.

Quickly, and efficiently.

They snuck inside, and made for the shelves.

“Would this work?” Ro held up a bottle.

Colleen leaned in to read the label.

“Maybe?”

“Okay”.

“Guys!”

MatPat poked his head out of the Main Office.

“I’ve got the kit!”

“Great”.

Safiya had searched for and gathered up the aloe extract, three dispensers worth to be exact.

“Status check on the pain meds?”

“Working on it!”

-Meanwhile, Shane and Cedric were watching the door.

Stephanie opened her handbag, and put in several tiny jars of Tylenol, Advil, anything.

_Anything_ that might ease that poor boy’s pain-!

She cautiously crept around a corner.

And stopped.

“…Guys?”

“Yeah?” Colleen whisper-called?

“…We’re not alone here”.

-

Ro gawped.

“Wh…what are…!?”

Cocoons.

That’s what they were!!

Four, honking, big ones!!!

Stuck to the wall, sucking indentations forming eyeholes, and mouths that had long since ceased their struggles.

“Who…who were they?”

MatPat had blanched.

If these had been spun by what they _thought-_

Then they were in for a bad, bad time.

“Hmm…”

Shane squinted.

“Maybe…could it be…?”

“It’s Sampson”.

Cedric’s face was grim.

“That first one there, on the left.

I remember him telling me that he needed some gauze for his finger”.

“Oh no…”

Her heart broke.

_But he was so kind…_

_All the kids loved him!_

_So much…_

“Do you know who the others are?”

Safiya held out her weapon of choice just in case.

“Well…”

He stepped up to join Shane.

“If I’m not wrong, the second one is Arthur’s poor wife”.

“Wife?”

“Penelope”.

He scowled.

“I always knew he was in it for the money…”

“Ew, sounds like Colin”.

Colleen wrinkled her nose.

“Yes. A most despicable fellow”.

Moved on to body number three.

“Ahh…Madison…”

“Madison?” Safiya echoed.

“That poor woman…she didn’t deserve this”.

Stephanie felt her heart break.

It was old news that her other half had recently put her in the hospital for a broken leg.

This must’ve been her first day out…

Finally.

Last but not least:

“Oh, Vincent-“

“Vincent?”

Ro’s voice cracked.

“Probably came here for his prescribed medication”.

The entire group sobered.

He’d been a fighter-

He’d gotten an electric-happy doctor arrested for malpractice after withstanding many severe shocks.

It was rumored that the man had nine lives in order to survive all that!

If _he’d_ died-

Arms.

_Grabbing Stephanie up from behind!!_

“-!?”

“Steph!!”

**P-TOOM, P-TOOM!!**

One, two shots from the bolt gun.

They did nothing.

“Help…me…!!”

-Scratch that.

_Vincent was still alive!!_

-

The urge to scream at the top of her lungs was battling with the urge to keep quiet or else death.

“Help…”

His skin bristled with moving growths.

“Help-!!”

“V-Vin…cent?”

Tightly controlled.

She had to _tightly control_ her fear-

“All…our…fault…!!”

“What?

What is-!?”

“N-Nooooo, aah**hhhhHHHHHH-!!!”**

He fell.

Thrashed free of the webbing, and thudded to the ground, the force radiating up from the impact, and bursting open his spine!

Stephanie bit her tongue until it bled with the force of her held-back screech-

Someone snatched ahold of her, attempted to drag her free of the newly-hatched nest of-

**Spiders!!!!?????**

-

_Hissss…_

Safiya felt the blood drain from her face.

Eight eyes shining through the dark, demonic heralds of the three-feet high Mamas.

Yes, _plural._

“Get back…get back!”

Sheltered away by Shane and Cedric, they almost ran into a _fifth_ dead body-

That of Madison’s husband.

…Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel that Harold’s demise was not_ quite_ as sad as the others.

As the creeping critters closed in, Shane gasped.

“Run, RUN!!”

Webbing spat onto his leg.

“OH-“

Steam.

“OH MY GOD!!

OH MY GOD, **GO-!!!”**

“NO!!” Ro shrieked as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain-

Acidic.

The skin bleaching away-

“No,no, Steph!!”

Mat was still trying to pull her out of the line of fire, but…

“Mat,_ we have to go-“_

A spider spewed in his face.

“AHHHHHH!!”

Clawing at the sizzling material, Cedric writhed to the ground.

Leaping triumphantly onto his chest, the mother Widow unhinged her disturbingly-human-like jaws and began to messily tear into the cavity.

Joined by her numerous children, crunching noises mixed with his agonized breaths until they withered and died.

**P-TOOM!!**

_ **BLARE-** _

**P-TOOM!!**

_ **BLARE!** _

Bumping into Colleen’s back, the duo let their adrenaline cocktail take over.

**P-TOOM!!**

**P-TOOM!!!**

**P-TOOM!!!!**

_**BLARE!!**_  
  
_** BLARE!!!**_  
  
_** BLARE!!!!**_

Arachnids dropped left and right.

Thinking quickly, Safiya pulled out a can of bug spray, and lit a stick on fire with her lighter.

Then applied that to all of her arrows, and _sprayed-_

A gusting column of flame as she let them fly sent many more of them scrabbling for cover!!

“No. No. No!!”

And Ro was pushed to bash one to death with her knife.

SQUISH SQUISH **_SQUISH-_**

_I just want all this to end-!!_

-

Blood on the floor.

Pouring over the tiles…

Shane could instantly tell.

That he was dying.

“Go…GO GUYS-!!”

_Go…_

He could still see Stephanie trying not to move.

Trying to remain undetected…

Five more minutes, and she would be dead…too.

-

As soon as his gaze went blank, that was when she knew it for certain:

She was** doomed.**

Heart pounding a thousand miles an hour against her rib cage, she shut her eyes as the babies swept from Vincent to him…

Tore into his body with the tiniest, most nauseating chewing sounds.

Thank **God** he was already past the End.

-

They careened through the doors of the convenience store, and collapsed.

“What-“ (Gabbie)

“Where’s Shane?” (Justine)

  
“Cedric!?” (Riley)

“What happened-“ (Manny)

_“Where the heck is Stephanie!!?”_

(Nikita)

MatPat released the pent-up breath he’d been holding-

_ **“SPIDERSS!!!”** _

-

Ro woke up.

Completely and utterly _spent._

Husky leaning over her…

With tears in his eyes.

-

“Hus…ky…”

-Earlier that night.

“Hus…ky…?”

“Yeah?”

“I…’m…dy…ing…”

His heart dropped to his toes.

_“Wh-what!?”_

“I…hurt…**sick**…”

-He smelled it now.

The festering wounds…

“…Tell…Dan…iel…I…love…him…”

“Nonononono, they’ll get back in time, MatPat, and Ro, and Saf, and Colleen-“

“Th…ey…wo…n’t”.

His eyes fluttered closed.

Then opened again with such intensity-

His destroyed hand snapped painfully around his wrist!

“Hus…ky…”

“Joey…!?”

“I…forgive…you”.

His hand went limp.

His eyes rolled back…

“Joey?”

No response.

“JOEY!!?”

He felt for a pulse, fearing the worst-

“Joey…”

That day, he broke-

Down.

*

Three lives lost for nothing.

…

And to _spiders-!!_

I shivered.

I couldn’t even imagine it…

Couldn’t imagine having to watch as someone else was eaten alive.

...

…That poor woman had been left behind.

Was she dying right now?

…

They weren’t able to go get her.

But I could.


End file.
